Art and Design

Hermit crabs are perhaps one of the most enigmatic and unusual animals in the underwater universe. Though a crustacean, it possesses no shell of its own, but takes over discarded shells of gastropods (like snails and bivalves). When such shells are in short supply the crabs will adopt other items it finds along the sea bed, including trash. Japanese artist Aki Inomata has created fantastic 3D shells specifically for hermit crabs.

BMW-owned MINI and Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera have teamed up to create the MINI Superleggera Vision concept sports car. The open-topped, electric-powered two seater flaunts a hand-shaped and formed aluminum body styled to evoke the classic roadsters of British automotive history.

The Toyota Aygo (“I Go”, get it?) has enjoyed considerable success in its European market niche over the past decade but something's always been lacking... mainly, memorable styling. That's about to change in a big way. The fourth generation Toyota Aygo offers surprisingly bold styling (especially from the front) and a new slogan, “Go Fun Yourself”. Same to you, Toyota Aygo.

How do snow globes fit in today's digital world? By fitting on your digit, of course. Snow Globe Rings from Toumei of Japan encase the iconic symbols of the world's five most famous cities in miniature spherical wearable snow globes.

The California-made Nimble Cargo Scooter is a practical, fun alternative to shopping by bicycle. These sturdy, safe and simply-made scooters are ideal for local pick-ups, especially when bringing home large or unwieldy items like watermelons or cases of beer.

Life in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or any of the other United Arab Emirates can be very good indeed but the fun can come to a screeching halt should you bounce a check or miss a credit card payment. Non-payment of debt – any debt, any amount – is a criminal offense in the UAE and rather than face the music an astonishing number of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and other high-end car owners park their pricy rides at the airport and hop on an outbound jet, never to return.

The Majestic Drink Holder is to standard auto cup-holders what the Luxury Fries Holder is to McDonalds' cheesy red plastic Potato Holder, offering awesome looks augmented with a Swarovski-studded padlock. Hey, at least your secured soda will have some taste.

Bough Bikes is a world leader in the field of handmade all-wood bicycles, having produced over 300 pedal-powered two-wheelers from sustainably harvested French Oak. Now the Dutch manufacturer is, ahem, branching out into electrobikes, showing off two prototype electric wooden bikes at this year's NYCxDesign.

A photographer looking for an innovative new way of lighting his automotive subject decided to illuminate the vehicle from beneath... and by beneath, we mean under the yard-thick, crystal clear ice of frozen-over Lake Baikal.

A half-century ago, Jaguar built 12 “Lightweight” E-types for the 1964 racing season. The original plans called for 18 cars, however. Now Jaguar plans to complete, by hand, the remaining 6 Special GT E-Types using the originally designated chassis numbers.

The 2015 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Special Edition is Cadillac's way of closing out this sleek two-door model in style. The all-new 2016 CTS-V is only being offered as a sedan, so a mere 500 coupe fans will have a chance to drive a very special Caddy into the sunset.

On a hot and sunny day there is nothing like a big, fluffy cumulus cloud to create a bit of relaxing shade. But, oh, they seem to move off all too quickly. Believe it or not, there is something you can do about this. You can have a Solar-Powered Cumulus Parasol. It is like owning your own little piece of the sky.

Russia is known more for cranking out tractors and tanks than designing and manufacturing quality motor vehicles, which might explain why the world's largest country makes some of the world's strangest cars.

If the Veloschmitt KR E-250 looks oddly familiar, you might have spent a little too much time in post-war Germany. Designers Achim Adlfinger and Fred Zimmermann have been there and now they've done that, evoking the spirit of Messerschmitt's quirky KR200 Kabinenroller in this three-wheeled pedal/electric velomobile.

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